Chapel Hill Public campaign finance law approved

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Public campaign finance law approved
Jun 12, 2008 News Jump to Comments

by Rich Fowler
Staff Writer

The Chapel Hill Town Council passed a new law that will change the way elections for mayoral and town council seats will be funded for the next two municipal elections. The new Voter-Owned Elections program, approved Monday at a meeting at Town Hall, provides town money to candidates for mayor and town council to help run their 2009 and 2011 campaigns. The council set aside $25,000 in its 2008-2009 budget to start funding the four-year pilot program.

Chapel Hill Mayor Kevin Foy said that he thought the council was trying to ensure that in the long term politics in Chapel Hill wouldn’t be polluted by money.

“I think it would be unfortunate if we wait until a time when corruption does occur,” Council member Mark Kleinschmidt said. He also said that he didn’t want people who were unable to raise large amounts of money to be locked out of the political process. He said that this program would give those people a chance to get involved.

Mayor Pro Tem Jim Ward said that the council and the residents of Chapel Hill would be better served by council members who are funded by the town instead of two or three special-interest groups.

Some of the citizens who spoke at the council meeting and one council member objected to the council passing the measure without putting the issue to a referendum.

“If we believe that this is such a good thing, let’s have the confidence to turn it over to the good people of Chapel Hill and allow them to say yea or nay. Why can’t we do that?” Council member Matt Czajkowski asked.

...more at the link

http://www.carrborocitizen.com/main/2008/06/12/public-campaign-finance-law-approved/